'Verstappen and Wolff pictured together on holiday for second year in a row'

The photographs, shared by Spanish outlet SoyMotor, appear to show Verstappen spending time with Wolff while both are on holiday.

One picture shows Wolff sitting on a jet ski, with Verstappen looking up at the Mercedes team principal from the water, while seen next to his partner Kelly Piquet. Another picture shows Verstappen appearing to enjoy himself on an electric hydrofoil board, with the Dutchman in a third image seen stepping up on a luxury yacht.

It is not clear when the pictures were taken but Verstappen and his family were already believed to be in Sardinia where his yacht, Unleash the Lion, docked there on Sunday afternoon.

Over the past years, the Dutchman was frequently linked to Mercedes as well.

As GPblog previously reported, Mercedes will continue with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell as their drivers for the 2027 Formula 1 season. Last month, it was claimed that the German team had exercised an option in Russell's contract. However, this website understands that this was incorrect, which explains why no official announcement followed. It was never necessary, as Russell is already under a multi-year contract.

Verstappen's private jet landed in Salzburg two days after the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Red Bull’s headquarters are located. On Tuesday, the flight-tracking information for Verstappen’s plane showed that the aircraft initially flew from its home base in Nice – near Monaco – to Sardinia, where it landed at the airport.

After a brief stop on the Italian island, the plane took off again and set course for Salzburg. The only thing that can be confirmed about this is that Red Bull’s headquarters are located there. Although the exact purpose of this visit and details on who travelled there remains unclear.

Verstappen's Red Bull future has faced repeated questions and he has more recently been linked with a move to McLaren. GPblog reported earlier this month that a switch not entirely ruled out, but it does not appear likely in the short term. The odds are greater that the Dutchman will remain with Red Bull Racing or temporarily put his Formula 1 career on hold after this season. The Dutchman does not need to decide immediately, he has time until the middle of October.

According to a rumour from the German Bild, Red Bull have offered Verstappen a new deal which would extend his contract from 2028 to 2029, but not include any performance clause like his current one contains.